Posts Tagged ‘green’

If there’s one thing we love it’s paper. And we especially love when people turn it into art. One new artist takes it well beyond origami, creating gorgeous 3-D art out of recycled paper. Ali Golzad is an artist living in Texas, originally from Göteborg, Sweden by way of Tehran, Iran. With a background as a graphic designer and creative director, his latest project asks us to question how we normally look at waste and see something beautiful: “Over the years I have developed my own technique using various mediums,” he says. “Aside from my formal graphic design training and time spent as a Creative Director you could say I am a self taught artist. My urge to create while still caring for our planet enabled me to look at ordinary objects in a new light and transform these commonly discarded materials into something meaningful.” We love the innovative use of paper techniques to recreate well-known figures. More pictures after the jump.

Are you getting the new iPhone 5? Pre-Orders have already hit two million in 24 hours, more than double the demand of the iPhone 4S. Whether or not you need to upgrade is up to you, but if you decide to make the leap, what are you going to do with your old one? Apple has sold more than 244 million iPhones since its release in 2007. That’s a lot of old iPhones sitting around in the junk drawer. USA Today has created a handy list of ways to recycle your old iPhone to ensure that it doesn’t become another wasted piece of hardware taking up desk space.

Pope Benedict XVI made waves last year when he took a ride in the first green Popemobile, a Mercedes M-Class hybrid. Now His Holiness has gone a step further, with two fully electric vehicles designed and gifted by Renault. It’s not bad being the Pope. Renault made one car, based on the Kangoo maxi Z.E., specially for the Pope for travel at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo. The other gift is a blue, bulletproof version, to be used by the Corps of Gendarmerie Corps of Vatican City for the Pope’s security.

A trip of young designers created a shopping bag, the H+Bag, that folds into a hanger with easy-to-fold instructions that are printed right on the bag. Hyojun Jeon, Younha Hwang, and Minjae Kwan took a common problem, how to reuse the many paper bags we get in shops daily, and made a creative solution, turning it into something with a creative purpose that can complement that shirt we just bought. The result is a sleek hanger that helps save closet space. And they even takes a tip from the dry cleaners, who sometimes fold their own hangers to protect your delicates. By not using metal or plastic, the hangers won’t create unsightly bumps in your more sensitive fabrics.

Move over fold-up bike. Researchers from MIT and DENOKINN have developed a new electric car, the HIRIKO Fold, that literally folds in half to fit into tight parking spaces. The new car is expected to go on sale in 2013 for around $16,000. It could be just the solution for congested urban traffic. This 100% electric car passes all the tests for sustainable mobility.

IKEA is better known for their assembly-required easy furniture. But most retail locations have a giant variety of green products, just about everything you need to get your garden started. That includes planting essentials for both indoors and outdoors. If you’re limited on patio or outdoor space, check out their new mini greenhouse, the Socker.

We’re so excited that summer is here and in full force. How have you been celebrating the sunny weather? Personally, I’ve been jumping on my bike every chance I get. I recently switched from a super-fast track bike to a slower commuter bike. It’s a lot heavier, but way more practical. It’s become my go-to mode of transportation. I throw on panniers and take it to the grocery store to load up on food for the week. I feel pretty lucky to live in a bike-friendly city. But when it comes to paving the road for bikes, it seems like Copenhagen has got everyone beat.

How many times have you been at a museum or gallery and wished you could interact or play with the art? Personally I’ve had to restrain myself more than a few times. In one instance, in a gallery in Japan, kids were unable to stop themselves from playing with a large crocheted installation by artist Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam. As a result, MacAdam listened to her audience and built her first large-scale crocheted playground just for kids in Tokyo. The result was something straight out of a fairy tale.

I try to buy organic food whenever possible. But I’m in constant conflict. Often the prices are almost double what conventional produce would cost. Is it really worth the extra cost just to avoid some pesticides? Of course not all fruits and vegetables are created equal. It’s recommended to try to at least buy organic on foods with thin skins, like berries and lettuce. With thicker items such as with citrus or bananas, it’s not as important to buy organic.

There’s no shortage of things to make out of an old T-shirt. But finally, we found something we would actually use. Ecouterre provides the inspiration for turning any old T-shirt into a reusable produce bag. It’s a simple idea that can be used every day at the farmer’s market or grocery store.